Last week, my mom came into the City. I gave her a tour of our new office & then we took a little field trip to visit Joseph at the Fillmore Street boutique. Lately, we’ve been chatting about how easy it is to get in ruts: clothing, exercise, recipes, and, yes, even makeup.

So, I figured it was by far time for her to visit Benefit (and subsequently be subject of a blog post). Here are some pics from my mom’s visit to my work…also some great tips from Joseph for makeup when you’re not 17.

Here is my mom fresh-faced after Joseph took off her makeup, but left some eye makeup on (she’s a great sport about her daughter’s job):

looking good as is!

First rule: stay away from powder, which accentuates fine lines. Joseph started with a clean face and applied you rebel tinted moisturizer mixed with “that gal”primer for a flawless complexion. It’s so sheer it blends effortlessly.

joseph explaining to my mom the wonders of "that gal"

To lighten shadows under eye, he then dotted ooh la liftunder her eyes.

gently blend ooh la lift

line eyes with big, beautiful eyes

Now for big, beautiful eyes! He uses the hard angle brush to line the darkest shadow from the palette and created a slight line up from where the lower lash line would extend. This defines where to keep shadow, so you don’t have dark shadows in the corner of your eyes. It’s best to avoid super shimmery eye shadows for everyday look.

He then continued to blend in the other shadows: Sweep on the base shadow from lash line to brow bone. Apply the contour shadow and brush along the crease stopping ¼ in past the outside edge. Here you can see where to keep shadow:

blending the shadows from big beautiful eyes

color within the lines

Next, on to the brows. As Benefit 101 teaches us: Brows frame the face and give the illusion of lifted eyes. To fill them in, start halfway in the middle with light hairlike strokes of brow zings. Work your way filling in the front and extending. Then, take high brow to the highest arch to add more lift. (I’ve always been rather heavy-handed with the high brow pencil so it doesn’t look quite right, but Joseph’s tip is to lightly hold the side of the pencil and roll it, so you’re not using the point. Totally works wonders!)

Now to Wow! The side-by-side brow comparison

For extra luminescence, add girl meet pearl in a crescent shape around the temple area and cheek bone. Adding luminescent products helps to reflect light and make every gal look gooood! To touch up any redness, Joseph appliedsome kind-a gorgeous, the foundation faker, with the foundation brush to select areas where red was lingering (around nose, chine, and the corners of eyes).

Joseph then went back to her eyes to define a bit more with magic ink liquid liner and BADgal lash. My mom thinks she has the mighty shrinking lashes, but with just a ‘lil BADgal lash, I mean you can SEE such a difference! Just wiggle the mascara wand up from the base of lashes to give more weight at the bottom.

Now to Wow! The side-by-side comparison with mascara

Last, Joseph added some benetint on her cheeks and lips for that rosy all-day stain. Just a bit o’ gloss on the lips and my mom is set! As my mom’s new best friend, Joseph says, makeup is to enhance what we already have. So always try and have fun with it!

every gal loves some benetint

new best friends

glam, mom

Here’s the three of us…and yes, I do look exactly like my mother. Not a bad compliment, I’d say! Do you have a makeup rut you’re ready to get out of?